Lifeline
by Socrates7727
Summary: Muggle!AU Draco is a rich kid tired of feeling alone, Harry is a foster kid who gets dragged to the party by chance. Fluff ensues! Drarry, lemon but not super explicit, D/s dynamic, underage drinking. No longer a one-shot!
1. Chapter 1

AN I don't own HP or any of the characters! Drarry muggle AU

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Draco was… well, in the words of his best friend he was slightly psychotic. An only child, the sole heir to the Malfoy's business empire, and the only person who could piss his father off and get away with his balls intact. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the money that got to him. He liked the wealth, of course, and he liked having nice things but he didn't mind not having them. Draco was, however, slightly insane. In a good way, Blaise usually assured him, but Draco had his doubts and it also didn't really bother him if it was in a bad way. As long as he kept up appearances for the press, it didn't matter.

He didn't believe in flaunting wealth-at least not any more than his father insisted upon-but he did believe in wasting it, and wasting it heavily. On one hand, it pissed his father off to no end, which Draco enjoyed immensely. On the other hand, though, it gave him a rush sometimes that was better than the apathy so it became like a drug.

"You having a party tonight?" Draco sneered, but it wasn't mean.

"Do you really have to ask me that, Blaise?" The man rolled his eyes but kicked his feet up on the expensive mahogany coffee table and made sure to rub a little mud in. They would blame it on Draco, anyways, and it didn't matter. Draco would likely do it himself before the night was through because, after all, it was his birthday and he would have been breaking tradition if he didn't get completely shitfaced and sleep with some rando.

Draco's parties-not Malfoy parties, just Draco's-were legendary. Half the city usually showed up and tried to get in and, if not for his faithful bouncers, the Manor would have been flooded with riffraff. As it was, there was a very strict guest list. And so much alcohol.

"Is Pans invited?" Draco covered a snort of laughter and kicked his own feet up on the mahogany.

"After the stunt she pulled last year? Hell yeah." They both laughed, and focused on their drinks. Draco was not twenty one-he wouldn't be for another day-and none of his friends were either but that hadn't ever stopped them from raiding the Manor's liquor supply and getting completely trashed. Pansy, in particular, had really let loose at Draco's last birthday party. In her drunk stupor, she had been found backfloating in the fountain by the Manor's entrance and, when hauled out by Draco's father, had kissed the man. Lucius had been furious for weeks after that, and Draco still chuckled at the memory.

"Your dad's gonna kill you one of these days." Draco just shrugged. "I don't like how nonchalant about that you are, man, don't you care that he might just explode and kill you in a fit of rage someday?" Again, Draco just shrugged and sipped his glass.

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. All I know is that tonight is going to be one hell of a party."

Harry Potter was not rich. He was a foster kid and had been since before he could remember but he'd landed, luckily, with the Weasleys at age eleven and had become a part of their family. Molly Weasley was both very generous and very fertile, as she liked to joke, which led to a house full of children at all times, some biological and some foster, but it also led to a severe lack of money. They had enough to get by, of course, but now that Harry was on his second year of college he was starting to feel the strain.

"You could always come to the party tonight, Harry." He glared at Ginny but she was waiting for it, her tongue already stuck out at him. She continued curling her hair as he pouted.

"It's practically prostitution, Gin!"

"Keep your voice down!" Harry relented, and Ginny gave him a hard look. "It's not prostitution, I told you a hundred times. They're just rich kids. A lot of them like to blow money on things, like they ran out of excuses to spend it so they just throw it away. They pay for pretty company." Harry rolled his eyes at her.

"They pay for sex."

"Nuh-uh! Me and Pansy have gone at least four different times and I've never slept with anyone. It's just a party, Harry, and it's a quick way to make money. I know you're behind on your loan payments." He was, dangerously, and the entire family seemed to know that as much as it infuriated him. It wasn't his fault that a full time job couldn't pay for his college tuition, after all, but he was not going to be one of those rom-com girls who prostituted herself for college money.

"Mom's starting to worry, huh?" He was not one of those girls-or guys-but he still considered himself a foster kid, a burden, no matter what anyone else said and he hated to cause extra pressure on Molly.

"Yeah. Money's always tight, yanno." Harry did know. And that was all it took for him to get up and head to his room. He was going to go and hope that he didn't have to be a pretty redheaded girl just to get money and pray to god that he didn't have to sleep with anyone.

"Wear something tight, college boy!"

By midnight, the party was in full swing. His parents had gone on one of their many vacations without him, meaning he had the Manor to himself, and the staff were all more than a little afraid he would go full Lizzie Borden on them if they pissed him off so it was a good night. The alcohol was free flowing, no doubt thousands of dollars worth of it, and Draco was thrilled.

"Hey, Blaise, where's your girl at?" Draco wasn't sure at that point if he was referring to Pansy, the one Blaise would undoubtedly sleep with before the night was over, or the little redhead Pans constantly dragged along with her. Little red had a name, but Draco could never remember it. He enjoyed watching Blaise flirt with the girl who was clearly still a teenager, knowing it would go nowhere, just to piss Pansy off. It was a game Draco loved watching.

"Not sure, said she was picking up extra cargo and might be a little late." Draco huffed and called for another round of shots, which was answered with cheers from the entire main hall. Pansy may not have been his best friend, but she was one of the few constants in his life and Draco was slightly insulted that she wasn't joining them for his birthday, of all things. He spoke too soon of course, though. Which he tended to do when slightly drunk.

"Happy birthday, Dray!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him-she was one of the only ones allowed to-but he could smell the alcohol on her already. He smiled as she pulled away, and moved to introduce the redhead yet again.

"You guys remember Ginny." Draco nodded politely and Blaise hugged her, clearly already starting the game. It took a lot of alcohol for Draco to relax or let loose, usually, but even when he was slightly drunk, like now, his forced manners and cold exterior came back in the presence of strangers. As Ginny pulled away, she gestured to the man she'd brought with her.

"This is my friend Harry." Blaise shook the guy's hand but Draco stayed still, merely sizing him up with those silver eyes he knew made people uncomfortable. The man didn't flinch, though, or even squirm.

"Happy birthday," he said quietly, almost as if he was mocking Pansy rather than actually saying it. Draco gave him a nod and they disappeared to get drinks.

"You got your eye on that one?" He flashed Blaise a look but the man was drunk so he just laughed. "Oh come on Draco anyone who's ever been to one of these parties before knows you're not particular about your sexual conquests as long as they're attractive. And that guy there, objectively, is attractive." Draco rolled his eyes but someone yelled for shots and, following house rules, everyone did a shot which distracted Draco long enough. He and Blaise tended to linger at the top of the stairs, just watching. It sounded creepy but Draco didn't trust many people and until he was good and drunk he wasn't comfortable with being among the throngs of people he'd created. Blaise knew that, and just kept him company.

"You rang for another drink, sir?" The faceless man in a suit handed Draco a glass of something, maybe whiskey? Draco downed it without even blinking. The man disappeared, probably to get another, and Draco perused the scene below him as Blaise watched him.

"You're weird again tonight." He took another gulp before facing his best friend, who was now apparently drunk enough to call him out on shit.

"You're the one who's not playing your usual game, Blaise. Where's Pans and little red?" Blaise laughed at him, though, and emptied his glass.

"Where's the boy toy she brought, you mean?" Draco gave a noncommittal shrug. "Two o'clock birthday boy." Draco followed Blaise's instructions and found Pansy. With the darkness and flashing neon lights, Pansy looked damn near electric as she joined the dance floor. She was wearing jean shorts-an odd choice for a party, Draco noted-and a very revealing top that he had no doubt was just to get Blaise's attention but it shimmered in the lights distractingly. Colorful lights were very distracting when he was drunk.

"Oof look at little red go!" Sure enough, little red was joining Pansy on the dance floor and dragging the boy she'd brought with her. She joined Pans and began to dance, letting her short skirt and her cute top fool the people around her into thinking she was in her twenties, not her teens, but Draco didn't really mind. Pans had vouched for her and brought her as a friend, not a hookup. He'd never seen little red pimp herself out, either, or even leave with anyone besides Pans so he doubted that was what she came for. Not that he cared, really.

"Aww your boy is shy." Draco tried to skip over the way Blaise just assigned the man to him, like he was an object or something. Instead, he turned his attention to where little red was trying to drag the man out onto the dancefloor, and failing miserably. He was clearly not used to parties. Normally, that would have bothered Draco because he didn't have patience for people who weren't up for his speed and his crazy, but he found it endearing from this one. That, and the way little red was coaxing him was quite funny to watch.

Apparently Draco wasn't the only one who'd been drinking, though, because once little red got her friend out on the dancefloor he completely changed. Gone was the awkward wallflower. In its place, stood a very attractive man who turned out to be an appealing drunk and an even better dancer.

"Damn your boy's got moves." Blaise was still beside him, waiting for his cue to leave and just watching Pansy as she tried to seduce him from the floor below. Draco was focused on the boy, though. Harry, if he could remember correctly, was dancing now completely carefree and it was obvious him and little red were close because he relaxed with her. Hopefully not too close, Draco couldn't help thinking.

It was a rather established tradition, by now, that Draco had a routine for parties like these and he stuck to it. Thus why Blaise was still by his side, and thus why he was merely observing. He needed to be drunk enough to wade through the throng of people and he needed to be uninhibited enough to let someone touch him before he descended the stairs. Watching, he took another shot from a tray that was offered to him. At parties, he tended to observe like this until he found what he wanted and then he advanced. He was not predatory, and he took no for an answer, it was just that no one had ever said anything but yes because he was very careful to only choose people he could tell were attracted to him. It wasn't a very narrow selection.

"God damn." Blaise was commenting on the way Pansy was grinding against another man, taunting him, but Draco couldn't help letting his eyes drift to the side. Harry was there, dancing near little red but not with her. He'd found a rhythm, now, and his hair had become messy and tousled in a way that was almost unfairly sexy. Draco watched as he rolled his hips, and then as he felt Draco watching him and looked up. Briefly, their eyes met.

Just as quickly, Harry looked away and moved closer to talk to little red but Draco had made up his mind. They were discussing him, very obviously, and he could imagine what little red was saying about the great, psychotic Draco Malfoy. Harry didn't seem scared, though. It was like before, with Draco's eyes, and he actually enjoyed the difference. Normally, people were uncomfortable around him until they saw the party Draco come out but Harry didn't seem the least bit put off. If anything, he seemed to like it.

Draco had made his choice, though, so with one last gulp of alcohol he pushed himself off the banister and started for the stairs. Blaise rushed ahead of him, finally dismissed to go pull Pansy off whatever guy she was with. He heard a hush fall over the party, even if it was slight compared to the blasting music and the yelling from other wings of the Manor, but he ignored it just like he ignored the way everyone watched him descend. It was a well known tradition, and everyone wanted to see who'd made the cut.

Draco followed Blaise, but it made no difference. Everyone knew he didn't move from his spot at the top of the stairs or join the crowd until he was plenty drunk and had a target in mind. When he reached ground level, he managed to disappear some into the crowd. It wasn't much, but it helped. And, as Blaise made a scene ripping Pansy away from some blond guy, Draco made a move around the edge of the room to where little red and Harry were.

He hovered, staying near the wall with a drink in his hand, because Draco wasn't much for dancing unless he had a partner but he made his focus very clear. Others backed away from Harry, as if letting Draco have him. Harry was quick to notice, which Draco had to give him credit for, but his eyes held no fear or apprehension as he met Draco's. He looked happy, actually.

"You'd make a good statue! Really spices up the decor." Draco didn't laugh, but his lips quirked up in a little smile before he quickly hid it behind his glass. Harry had to yell to be heard, but Draco didn't bother yelling back because it wasn't his style. He was much more of a whispering type than a yelling. With a smirk, Harry beckoned to him.

When Draco stayed firmly where he was, the brunet rolled his eyes and seemed to punish Draco by turning his back to him. He put on quite a show, though. Draco couldn't stop himself from biting his lip when the man rolled his hips at him or threw his head back to the music. It was damn near sexual and god it wasn't fair because now Draco wanted him. Harry beckoned again, and this time Draco joined him.

For all his aloof behavior and introvert tendencies, Draco was not shy and especially not when it came to get someone into his bed. He didn't typically dance-unless ballroom dancing counted, which his father regularly forced him to do-but he could dance when he wanted to. And he could be very smooth when he put his mind to it. So, when Harry took his hand and pulled him out onto the floor, he had no doubt the brunet was trying to catch him off guard but Draco didn't let him. He continued the momentum, and pressed himself against Harry's back as he pulled the boy into him. Harry laughed.

"Ginny told me you weren't as shy as you looked." He must have been referring to little red but Draco didn't really care. Instead, he leaned down and brushed his lips against the shell of Harry's ear.

"I'm confident when I know what I want." The boy laughed again and tossed his head back, letting it rest on Draco's shoulder, but the smile never left his face even when Draco ground their hips together. When Harry pressed his ass back against him, offering a repeat, Draco had to grin. He buried the expression in the hollow of Harry's throat and began kissing and nipping the sensitive skin, making the boy groan, but he knew what he was doing. If Draco was anything besides rich and slightly unstable, he was a generous lover.

"You're drunk, birthday boy." Draco hummed in the boy's ear in agreement but Harry, surprisingly, pulled back enough to face him. "I bet you don't even remember my name, do you?" That made Draco stop. Since when did it matter if he knew the boy's name? This was a drunk hookup, not marriage. And, usually, he wouldn't have remembered the name quite honestly but this time he'd been paying attention.

"Harry." The brunet flushed, either with embarrassment at being wrong or with pride that Draco had remembered. "Now can we dance?" Harry nodded and started to turn back around. Draco stopped him, gripping the boy's slender hips, and shook his head. Normally, he wouldn't have refused some good old fashioned grinding because usually, when he was drunk, he didn't want to remember the person's face or who he'd slept with. But this one he wanted to see. He pulled Harry flush against his body and shuddered at the heat. Fuck this boy was sexy, even if he acted like he wasn't, and it wasn't fair.

"You're demanding." Harry laughed as he said it, but Draco let out a low growl and immediately those green eyes darkened into something less pure. Draco was not demanding-he didn't ask or tell Harry to give him anything-he merely took what was offered. And he was confident in that. He didn't give Harry time to argue, though, or find out what made him growl like that because there was too much distance between them and Draco wanted it gone. His hand tangled in that dark, messy hair and pulled Harry into a bruising kiss.

Goddamn. Draco hadn't even realized he was still tense, even with the alcohol, until Harry's lips pulled every ounce of anxiety from his body. It was like a drug and Draco relished it. The boy clearly was not very experienced, but he learned quickly and in a matter of minutes he was pulling moans from Draco almost as easily as Draco did to him. It was amazing, actually, because Draco had had good sex. But he'd never been vocal in public, and especially not while just kissing, and Blaise knew that too which was what earned him a very confused look. Harry, however, was not backing down. He rolled his hips against Draco's body and used the friction to take control of the kiss, tugging at Draco's hair until he felt like he might fall apart right then and there. Breathlessly, he broke away.

"Care to go upstairs?" Harry hesitated, so Draco quickly added. "Asking, not demanding." And then that beautiful face broke into a grin and Harry was nodding. Draco could not get him up the stairs fast enough. His body screamed at him for letting the contact break at all and, even if he wanted to carry the boy to his bedroom and kiss him the entire way, he was in a house full of people. Draco was not reserved, per se, when it came to parties but he was private when it came to that kind of vulnerability.

"You live here?" He heard the disbelief in Harry's voice but bit back a sneer as he unlocked his bedroom door.

"It's not as nice as a looks." It was, wealth wise, but there were other drawbacks that Draco didn't care to get into with his current one night stand. Instead, he walked them both back into the bedroom. He locked the door behind them.

"What do I call you?" Draco hesitated, if only for a split second, as he stripped off his suit jacket and undid his tie.

"You know my name." Harry laughed again, a sound that Draco was becoming rather accustomed to, and sat back on Draco's huge four poster bed as he kicked off his shoes.

"I do. But Pansy called you Dray and I heard another guy call you Drake so clearly you have different names for different occasions. So, I'll ask again, what do I call you?" It wasn't healthy, the way those emeralds eyes made heat crawl up Draco's chest. Harry flashed him a smirk, and Draco couldn't stop himself.

"Sir." He expected a negative reaction-actually, he expected Harry to call him a freak or just storm out-but the brunet merely smiled and undid his own tie.

"Yes sir." Fuck. The second he heard that word from Harry's mouth, Draco was done for. He'd slept with a lot of people and he'd even slept with people who had the same cocky confidence as Harry seemed to but he'd never slept with someone so… electrifying. In seconds, he was on Harry and pushing them both back onto his mattress. He pinned the boy, but Harry didn't struggle.

Their lips collided, and again Draco's control faltered. Normally, even with great sex, he was always topping and he was always sure to keep some kind of apathy if not for his own self preservation then because it was a one night stand. With this one though… The way Harry welcomed his tongue and nipped at his lower lip to distract him while he tangled a hand in his hair was just unfair. Harry rutted up against him, even if he was pinned, and tugged at the blond strands until Draco felt like he was insane.

A lot of people thought he was insane, and Draco sometimes wondered if he was, but he'd never felt insane until that very moment. His body hesitated for just a second too long and Harry took the opening. He flipped them, devouring Draco's mouth with the confidence of someone who was definitely not a virgin, and he was so goddamn distracting that Draco didn't notice him make a grab for their ties. When he felt cloth constrict on his wrists, Draco nearly screamed.

"Hey, it's okay." Harry was reassuring him, he realized, and Draco didn't really know how to feel about that. For some reason the restraints sent panic coursing through his veins. But Harry held him, kissing at his pulse point and along his collarbone until Draco stopped panting long enough to meet his eyes. He trusted those eyes, for some reason.

"I get the feeling you're used to being in control, Sir." Harry chuckled to himself. The combination of the restraints and that name, though, made Draco actually moan. Fuck what had he gotten himself into!? Above him, the brunet just laughed and began undoing the buttons of his dress shirt.

"Don't worry, Sir, you're in control. You can stop me… if you want to, that is." Harry paused, as if waiting for Draco to say something, but Draco was practically drunk on this new kind of rush so he stayed quiet. "Mmm that's what I thought, Sir." Harry used that name like a taunt and Draco fucking loved it. He wasn't sure why, exactly, because he'd had all kinds of sexual partners and some had been incredibly kinky, but something about Harry made this almost unbearable. His entire body ached and begged to be touch. Harry gave him a smirk, and then moved his lips to his chest, concentrating on Draco's nipples.

Draco arched off the bed with a yelp because he had not been expecting it to feel like his body had been set on fire. He swore, but Harry tsked at him and left a hickey on his collarbone as punishment. Draco didn't give a shit. He was too wrapped up in this, too absorbed in the sheer feeling of it all. The blond never would have admitted it, not even to himself, but the reason he loved having the parties and the fancy things that he just threw away was because it made him feel like he wasn't empty. He was used to feeling hollow. Alcohol didn't help and neither did drugs so, when he could stomach it, he chased away that emptiness with the feeling of someone else's body. Usually, he managed something akin to a candle flame of feeling.

Harry, though. Harry was starting something more like a wildfire in his chest that made his skin flare red hot and his entire body tremble at every touch. He hated it and he loved it and no matter what he just didn't want the boy to stop. Finally he felt alive and hell would freeze over before he gave that feeling up.

On top of him. Harry gave an appreciative little hum as he stripped Draco to just his boxers. He seemed to be appraising, almost, as if Draco was a toy on display in a window or something, and it wasn't natural how quickly that shot to Draco's dick. He'd had sex before-many times-but for some reason everything Harry did was fucking magical. Even just looking at him.

"Hmmm I wonder…" The musing tone made Draco whine in protest and squirm for more contact, but Harry just tsked. "Should I let you fuck me, Sir?" Draco frantically nodded and he didn't realize he was actually begging until he heard his own voice. He'd never begged before in his life. That sounded like the best goddamn thing he'd ever heard, though, and his mind was overcome by the idea of sinking into Harry's heat so he let himself beg for it. He whimpered when Harry pulled away again to face him. Harry, though, was unconcerned and just smirked.

"Or should I fuck you, Sir?" Scratch that, that was the best idea Draco had ever heard. He almost always topped and had only tried bottoming once or twice on the off chance it fixed him somehow-it hadn't. Nothing had, until now. But the part of his brain that had gone mad with desire at the thought of fucking Harry positively imploded at the idea of being fucked by Harry.

"Yes, please! God please fuck me!" Harry laughed at him, making his cheeks flush red with shame, but his body was desperate nevertheless. He squirmed under Harry's weight, desperate for any kind of touch. Pleasure or pain, he didn't give a shit as long as it came soon because he felt like he was suffocating.

"Mmm your wish is my command, Sir." Draco nearly moaned just at the words alone and he would have, if Harry's mouth hadn't suddenly travelled lower. Those lips ghosted over his stomach and down his navel to the hem of his boxers, with Harry took in his teeth and quickly removed. This was how he was going to die. All those years of emptiness, all that time of just feeling hollow, he'd thought that would kill him one day but, no, it was going to be this. And Draco was completely content with that.

Harry spent approximately thirty seconds licking and sucking at Draco's rock hard cock, which was not nearly long enough in the blond's opinion. But he didn't complain because Harry replaced his mouth with his hand and moved his tongue lower to probe at Draco's asshole.

Jesus Christ!

Draco had heard of rimming, of course, and had even done it before but he'd never let anyone do it to him before and he had been missing out. Harry managed to make him scream with just a couple well placed licks.

"You act like no one's touched you in years.." Harry mused. "I know for a fact that's not true." It wasn't true, but that was what it felt like. Draco spent so much time just being and feeling alone that physical contact had become like an unpleasant chore to him. He allowed it with Blaise and Pansy, and sometimes with Theo if he was in town, but never anyone else. Which was why he needed to be considerably drunk before approaching someone. Harry, however, didn't know just how hard those words hit him because he was focusing all of his attention on Draco's dick and ass, now probing a finger in.

"I don't care about the prep just fuck me already!" Harry tsked though in a way that was damn near parental and Draco was left to squirm.

"Wouldn't want to hurt you, Sir." That name made Harry's eyes light up with laughter even if he stayed quiet because it was a joke now and Draco was clearly not in control at all. He was planning to be, but then Harry had happened. Now, Draco couldn't remember a time he'd ever enjoyed sex or topping because it hadn't been like this. Nothing like this. Not even weed was anything like the way Harry was making him feel.

"Fuck, please!" Harry added another finger, if only to make him stop begging, and Draco was temporarily content with the amount of burning in his ass. The muscles stretched and parted for the brunet easily, letting him soon insert a third. If Draco concentrated hard enough, he could imagine it was a dick. Harry's dick, not anyone else. The thought made his dick throb with need, even as Harry leisurely stroked it, and he could have come right then and there if Harry hadn't suddenly stopped.

"Don't…" That was all Draco's shaky voice could manage, but Harry didn't laugh. Instead, the brunet paused on the bed long enough to rub a soothing hand over Draco's stomach and chest, before he retrieved a condom. Draco hadn't realized how desperate he was just to make sure Harry didn't let go of him until he was gone. He fought the restraints because he couldn't slip back into that emptiness-he couldn't! Immediately, though, Harry was back beside him and rubbing comforting little patterns on his chest.

"Hey, you okay?" No joking title, no amusement in his voice. Draco just nodded because he didn't want to try to explain any part of what had just happened.

"Please just fuck me." He must have sounded enough like his old self because Harry grinned and positioned himself between Draco's legs. Even just feeling the tip at his entrance gave Draco a wave of anxiety. He rarely ever bottomed. He hadn't bottomed in a long time because he had trust issues, to say the least, and all it took was a millisecond of hesitation for him to start second guessing all of this. Harry didn't let him though.

"Hey, it's okay. I would never hurt you, okay?" Draco nodded, even if he didn't quite believe that, but it was enough because Harry pushed into him. Slowly, at first, but then suddenly he'd bottom out and Draco barely had the voice to hiss at him to move because fuck he needed it so badly. Harry did move, thank god.

It took one, complete thrust for Draco to lose himself in it again. He slipped, letting his eyes fall closed and his body relax under the ministrations of the brunet. Clearly pleased by that, Harry let his thrusts speed up and he angled perfectly-somehow-to hit Draco's prostate.

Just for a moment, Draco wasn't having sex. Just for a tiny split second, he felt the dick inside him and the warmth of the body hovering over his and he felt whole. He tugged on the restraints, just to make sure they were still there. They were, thankfully, and Draco was sure he would have ruined this if he could reach out and grab the brunet the way his body was begging him to, but he didn't. He just laid there and absorbed. And, for the first time since he could remember, he didn't feel empty. Not even a little bit.

"Fuck, Draco! Stop clenching that's cheating!" Draco had not been ready to hear his name fall from those gorgeous, bruised lips. It shot through his body like pure electricity and, for a second, he couldn't breathe because it hit him that he was really here, this was really happening. He was really feeling this. But then he comprehended what Harry had said and he realized he wasn't clenching, he was actually completely relaxed.

"I wasn't." Then Draco did clench, very purposefully, and Harry nearly fell in surprise. It was Draco's turn to laugh. Even with his wrists tied and his entire body pinned, he still had some semblance of leverage over the brunet and he was going to use it.

"Fuck you, Sir." Draco laughed again-he couldn't remember ever laughing this much, especially not during sex.

"I believe you already are, Harry." That drew a growl from the smaller man and Draco nearly came from that sound alone. It was unholy and deep and so possessive that Draco couldn't stop himself, he clenched again and again in a way he knew would make Harry impossibly close. He did it again, drawing it out, and when Harry growled into his ear, that was it. He tumbled over the edge and took Harry down with him, clinging to the brunet as his body spasmed and trembled out of his control and waves of pleasure racked his nervous system. Harry wasn't much better. When Draco came back to his body, Harry was collapsed beside him, breathing hard, and was halfway through untying Draco's wrist.

"Jesus." Harry laughed, but it was a tired laugh now. His hands were tired too, it seemed, because he struggled to untie the knots binding Draco to his own headboard. They finally gave, though. Harry fell back down beside him and evidently expected Draco to just stay where he was but, with his wrists suddenly free, Draco was overcome with the urge to touch. He pulled the smaller boy into his arms, against his chest, and just touched. He ran his hands up and down the boy's back, feeling for moles or scars or anything he could get his hands on as he made his way down his hips, over his ass cheeks, and up his chest. Surprisingly, Harry let him.

"I didn't take you for the sensual type." Draco hadn't realized he was practically massaging the boy's shoulders as he held him, but he only hesitated. He didn't stop, his body wouldn't let him stop.

"I'm not, usually." Harry hummed and wiggled closer.

"I wasn't complaining." For a few minutes, they just laid there like that while Draco busied his hands with that messy dark hair, but Harry wasn't going to just drop it. "You top usually, too?"

"Usually." Harry just nodded and let Draco play with his hair. As his hands moved lower, Draco found himself massaging along Harry's spine, digging his thumbs into his lower back and rubbing in small, concentrated circles until the boy relaxed against him. Content, Harry pressed a smile to his bare chest.

"Ginny said you do this a lot, but I don't get that impression. I did, out on the dancefloor, but not here. Was she lying?" Draco knew it was too good to be true. Of course, questions were not the end of the world and he could deal with them but he'd been hoping to make the perfect silence last. No such luck, though.

"No, she wasn't lying, I sleep with people a lot. I host parties and I hookup with people a lot. But I don't do this," He gestured between them. "A lot." Harry nodded, accepting that answer and allowing him momentary silence. Slowly, the longer they laid there, the more reciprocal their touching became. While Draco massaged, Harry ran his hands through Draco's hair and chased tremors down his sides with feather-light touches that almost didn't seem real. After a while, Harry pressed a kiss to Draco's chest.

"How're you feeling? I know that was a lot for you." Draco wanted to brush him off, to say he was fine and that it meant nothing, but the soft little touches at his waist didn't let him. He sighed, and stared deliberately at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I'm good." Harry didn't seem to believe him, so Draco continued. "Honestly, I'm better than I've been in a really long time." It was another five minutes, maybe, before Harry dared to press him again.

"You're quiet." Not an accusation, really, or a plea to talk more as much as a question. Like Harry somehow knew it was in Draco's nature to go silent whenever he was freaking out or upset.

"Just thinking." Another nod, and another kiss to his chest in what felt like a reward.

"Can I ask what about?" For a split second, Draco hesitated. He knew he shouldn't do what he was considering and, if it had been even an hour earlier, Draco would have laughed at the mere idea. But what the hell, right? He was all in, even if it killed him.

"About you." Harry waited, silently prying for more. "I've felt empty… probably my whole life. Nothing helped. No matter how much I drank, no matter what drugs I did, no matter who or how many people I slept with, I only ever scratched the surface. But you. I don't know what you did, exactly, but I felt-I feel-alive." Shockingly, Harry didn't pull away or call him crazy for saying that, even if Draco felt that way. Instead, he nuzzled closer. Pressing a smile into the hollow of Draco's throat, Harry whispered to him.

"I don't know about you, Sir," He chuckled. "But I'll gladly be your lifeline."

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Thank you so much for reading! Reviews quite literally make my day!


	2. Chapter 2

AN I know I said it was a one-shot but I got a request to continue and then this just popped into my head so... here you go! Also I don't own HP or any of the characters! Drug use warning

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When Draco woke up the next morning, he couldn't believe how well rested he felt. It was like he'd become a completely different person overnight, like he'd been reborn or replenished somehow because he just felt… Good. He was disappointed-to his surprise-when he found his bed empty but he quickly shrugged it off and reminded himself it had been a one night stand afterall. Why _wouldn't_ Harry just leave? Ignoring the ache that caused in his chest, Draco pulled himself out of bed and belined for his bathroom, the shower in particular calling out to him. He would have made it if his eyes hadn't caught a the piece of paper stuck to the inside of his bedroom door.

 _Sorry for disappearing but I was going to be late for work and I didn't want to wake you._

Normally, Draco would have rolled his eyes at an excuse like that but he found himself wanting to believe it, actually. And, below it, Harry had scrawled a phone number. He'd signed it with a little hand drawn heartbeat symbol like the kind Draco had seen in hospital soap operas on their fake monitors. Regardless of how cheesy it was, it made him smile. _I don't know about you, Sir, but I'll gladly be your lifeline._ He knew he should wait to text Harry because he didn't want to seem clingy or desperate but he could feel that emptiness working its way back into his bones and it hurt. Honestly, he hadn't realized how suffocating it was until he'd lived without it.

He sent a quick text in greeting and slipped into his shower. The hot water felt nice, especially on his sore muscles, but for the first time since he'd started doing this Draco didn't feel like he was trying to wash off the other person. He didn't want to, really. His body was tired, though, and he felt like he'd awoken from some kind of coma-his mind completely alert and ready, his body light years behind-so he took his time. When he did finally dry off and head for his dresser, Blaise was lying on his bed.

"How was your boy?" Draco couldn't help the smile that overtook his face, but he hid it as he rummaged around for clothes. Blaise had seen, though. So, rather than face the interrogation that was sure to come, Draco turned it around on him.

"How was Pans?" Blaise scowled but, between the hangover he obviously had and the groggy way he was curling into Draco's duvet, Draco could guess he was too exhausted to push very hard. Not if Draco was in the mood to push back, at least. Usually, he would have gone into all the gorey details with Blaise over their morning post-hangover coffee but this time he just wasn't feeling it. He didn't want to explain why he'd let the boy top, or the conversation they'd had after. That felt… private. Even if he was probably never going to see Harry again, Draco found himself wanting to cling to that memory and hold it close to his chest-hoard it, selfishly, so it was his and his alone.

"Your coffee is ready in the sun room, young Master Malfoy." Draco waved his hand in half thanks and half dismissal before dragging Blaise by the arm downstairs. Sure enough, their coffee was waiting for them. Mentally, he made a note to do something nice for Henrietta soon because she always brewed their coffees special the morning after parties. Secretly, Draco thought she might have been slipping some 5 hour energy in with the grounds.

"When are your parents getting back?" Draco shrugged, but sipped his coffee nevertheless and motioned for Blaise to do the same. Hungover Blaise was much more impulsive than normal Blaise-which was saying something-and Draco was not in the mood to be coaxed into something he would regret.

"They didn't say. I'm guessing at least another week, maybe two." Blaise nodded, and drank. Lucius and Narcissa had a habit of disappearing the week before Draco's birthday and, often, staying gone for another week after it. They let him do as he wished, which was nice. But they also kept their distance from the manor until they could be sure all evidence from a party could be taken care of, as if Draco had tainted the house and they had to purify it before returning. Regardless, it gave him and Blaise the manor to themselves for a while longer which would definitely be taken advantage of.

"Should I invite Pans tonight?" He had to smile at the way Blaise just knew they would be partying again tonight, despite still being hungover. Truly, no one knew him better.

"Might as well. I was thinking Lucid, maybe bring home a few new friends?" Blaise chuckled, but muffled it with his cup when Draco shot him a look. "It'd make Pans jealous." That got the other boy's attention, which made Draco smile. The back and forth between his two friends was a source of constant amusement and, while he often wondered why they didn't just get together, he also understood. They had to pretend it was just a grudging, reckless string of hookups. Blaise's father, if not the Parkinsons themselves, would have gutted the pair for even thinking of a relationship they hadn't explicitly approved. Still, their constant teasing was like a soap opera put on especially for Draco.

"You gonna invite your boy from last night?" Immediately, Draco's amusement disappeared. He frowned at his coffee and gave Blaise a look across the table, which his best friend promptly ignored.

"You know I don't do repeats." Why had Blaise even suggested that at all? If anyone knew Draco's routine, it was the boy who'd grown up with him, and normally Blaise wouldn't have even brought it up. Maybe because Draco had skimped on the details earlier? Blaise just shrugged, though.

"He seemed to put you in a good mood. I thought you might want a guaranteed good hookup on your actual birthday, plus he's friends with Pans." Draco glared, very intentionally, across the table. "Fine, forget I said anything." Gladly, he couldn't help thinking, but they finished their coffee in relative silence. It was already close to noon so they amused themselves in Draco's room-well, not his bedroom but the sitting room attached to the bedroom-and played the newest Xbox games either of them had. This was more like them. As much as Draco enjoyed the parties and the drinking and the pure recklessness, this was the Blaise he knew best. The one who sucked at Xbox, the one who was a very sore loser, and the one who insisted on shopping sprees to lift his mood.

Each of them had spent a couple thousand by the time they stopped for food. As they ate, he noticed Blaise's attention shifting further down the street towards a store with blacked out windows. Intrigued, he grabbed their coffees-cheap, Starbucks ones this time but with even more shots of espresso-and held Blaise's hostage until they were in the store. A sex shop, interestingly enough.

"Ooo are we shopping for Pans?" Blaise shot him a glare, only flushing redder when the clerk heard them.

"We're here because you are a cruel, heartless individual who took my espresso, Drake." Draco was unconcerned, though. While his best friend was only comfortable with sex in private situations, like in the manor, Draco had no problem discussing it in front of strangers. He was not shy-not even a little bit-and he was determined now because of the blush on Blaise's face. By the time he even slowed, Blaise had his arms full of various boxes and packages. Draco was sure he would never be caught dead with any of them again, but it was still amusing. His punishment, though, came when Blaise saw the ugliest leopard print G-string in human history and his face twisted into a shit eating grin.

"Dare you to buy that." Draco groaned but complied, figuring he would just stash it in the back of his dresser and never see it again. "And wear it. At least once before Christmas." Another groan, but he bought it. The cashier gave him a weird look but Draco turned his gaze to ice and not a word was said. Thank god, otherwise Blaise would have been thrilled beyond belief at starting a fight in the middle of this poor, unsuspecting store.

They managed to kill most of the day that way. It was actually one of Draco's preferred pastimes to just mess around with Blaise, especially when it involved wasting his father's money, but they still showed up back at the manor relatively in one piece.

"Bells, we're going to have a few friends over tonight." It wasn't a question or a request, but Belladonna knew Draco well enough by now to nod her head and dismiss herself. The rest of the staff would be scarce. None of them really liked the kind of people Draco brought over and, though they denied it, Draco had his doubts that any of them even liked him. Blaise, however, was a favorite.

"Thank you, sweetheart." He blew the woman a dramatic kiss, to which Draco only rolled his eyes. Blaise had, and always would be, a kiss ass when it came to women even if they worked for Draco's family. Without another word, they went upstairs to change. It was still early-only nine or ten-but he knew Blaise would take forever to choose an outfit, complaining that all of Draco's clothes only worked with the blond's complexion even though half of them had been picked out by his friend.

They began the long, delicate process of getting ready. Draco didn't even bother getting dressed yet, he just laid back on his own bed and watched Blaise fret. The poor guy must have gone through seven different outfits before he finally decided that one was acceptable but, even then, Draco only began to slowly get ready because he knew it was still going to change a few more times. Sure enough, by the time Draco was dressed, Blaise was wearing a completely different outfit.

"I like this one better." Draco just shrugged. Blaise always wore pretty much the same thing anyways-dark blue jeans, a light colored T shirt, and his leather jacket. In contrast, Draco wore a completely different outfit nearly every time they went clubbing.

"That's unusually tame for you, Drake." When he turned, though, Blaise immediately took it back. It was rather tame, at first glance, with just black skinny jeans and a dress jacket. The shirt underneath, however, was black and mostly see-through which made Draco's normally pale skin almost glow.

"Damn, that new?" Draco just hummed a bit in agreement, selecting a belt from his closet. "How many are we going for tonight? Just one for you? Or full on orgy shit?" At that, the blond had to laugh and he nudged Blaise away from the mirror, towards the door.

"No orgies, sorry B. I got another few specialty items from Lex though so I'm thinking the more the merrier."

Draco spent approximately ten minutes on the floor of the club before he was surrounded by men and women alike. He had a reputation, if nothing else. They met up with Pansy, who had brought little red but thankfully not her boy toy, and made a night of getting drunk. The real party, however, was back at the manor.

The two girls each brought a guy or two with them back from the club, though Draco had his suspicions that was more because Pans wanted to make Blaise jealous and Ginny felt bad leaving the guy's friend alone. Blaise had selected no fewer than three women, all fairly attractive. But it was Draco who had the real entourage-six club goers hung off his arms, each more attractive than the next-and he couldn't help smiling. This would be enough to get Harry off his mind, for sure.

The sitting room attached to Draco's room, as they called it, was less of a sitting room and more of a party room. Each couch was deep and lavish, practically a bed. The air smelled constantly of marijuana. There was alcohol on every available surface, no security cameras, and no staff. It could have easily been some kind of sex dungeon if Draco had wanted it to be, but he preferred to keep his sexual endeavors in his own bedroom where he controlled the privacy.

That didn't change the fact, though, that their group was more than a little promiscuous. Blaise was down to his T shirt and jeans, alternating between two of the girls he'd brought while shooting glances at Pansy whenever possible. The other woman, along with the two men who had been brought by Pansy and little red, kneeled around the coffee table at the center of the room and took turns diving into the stash of drugs there. A couple of the ones Draco had brought were moving to join them. One made a few advances on little red, but was quickly stopped, and if Pansy hadn't kicked him out Draco would have. Draco's two favorites, though, stayed.

The blond smiled up at him, ignoring the fact that Draco didn't smile back, and lazily reclined beside him as he waited for his turn. On his other side, was the dark-haired one that Draco particularly liked. He was attractive, rugged and chiseled in a Romeo and Juliet kind of way, but Draco's attraction was cemented the second he watched Romeo do a line of cocaine off his stomach. Blondie was intrigued, and came closer as Romeo set up another line. He sifted and directed the powder easily, drawing it along the centerline of Draco's abs, and offered it. Before Blondie could take it, though, Romeo swooped in and ran his nose along Draco's stomach, shuddering as the drug hit him and almost trembling into Draco's side. Fuck that was hot.

It was nothing, however, compared to the way Romeo licked his pinky and ran it up and down Draco's skin to collect any leftover coke. His finger was hot, and wet, and left a streak of cold against Draco's stomach. Now, that was exactly what was needed. The contrast of temperatures sent a jolt down Draco's spin and made him tense, which Romeo noticed with a grin. Arrogant, Draco couldn't help thinking. He dipped his head lower and ran his tongue along Draco's stomach, earning a hum from the blond. Blondie retreated to pout and Romeo was halfway through doing another line when the door flung open.

"Harry?" Little red spoke, but Harry's eyes were locked on Draco and the man currently snorting a line of cocaine off of his stomach. For a second, Draco was concerned Harry would be upset by the drugs or freak out. But, when he met those green eyes, they weren't scared. It was faint and only shone for a moment but, just for that fraction of a second, Draco could have sworn they'd looked jealous-possessive, even. _That_ was hot.

"Hey, come to join the party?" Harry ignored Pansy, though, and stared at Draco even as the rest of the group talked to him.

"I was invited by Blaise, actually." He sounded way too sober compared to the rest of them and Draco almost laughed, but those dark eyes were still on him. Draco turned to Blaise in question, raising an eyebrow. His best friend shot him a grin.

"Happy birthday, Drake." Draco could have killed him right then and there but there were too many witnesses. He tensed, enough for Romeo to notice, and Draco turned back to Harry only to see those eyes now cold and unforgiving. Blaise was going to die. Soon. But Harry only continued to glare, though, even when the rest of the group shifted uncomfortably and Romeo gave him a weird look.

"Seems like I'm interrupting." Those eyes flared again at Draco. They looked almost angry, though Draco couldn't imagine why.

"You're not interrupting anything, I promise. Is everything okay?" The look in Harry's eyes said everything was clearly not okay, but little red couldn't see his face so she still waited for an answer. Their guests all ignored them now that there was clearly no drama to be had, but Harry hadn't looked away from Draco or Romeo-who was currently licking a trail up Draco's stomach to collect the leftover powder.

"Could I talk to you for a sec, Draco?" Blaise shot them a suggestive look but that fire in Harry's eyes was intriguing so Draco stood. He pulled away from Romeo with a brief kiss and followed Harry into his bedroom.

"Something wrong, Harry?" Before Draco could even close the door all the way, though, he was slammed back against it and pinned by another body. "Harry what the fuck!?" Harry didn't give him time to react, though. Instantly, the brunet pulled him into a searing kiss that stung and bruised his lips but Jesus it felt good. He pressed harder, biting not so gently at Draco's lower lip. Fuck, it hurt but that pain hummed under his skin and jolted his nervous system like fire-god it felt amazing. By the time Harry broke the kiss, Draco was shaking.

"Seems I wasn't clear before…" Harry whispered, letting the words hit Draco's ears as his mouth toyed near his throat. "I'll be your lifeline, _Sir_ , and I'll do it gladly. But you're _mine_." Draco shuddered, but Harry didn't let him speak. He sank his teeth sharply into Draco's neck and held it there, even as Draco screamed. The sound was weirdly muffled, though. Draco squirmed, even though the pain was driving deep into his core and making him feel good in a sick, twisted way. Why was he muffled?

"Stop yelling, _Sir_ , they'll think I'm hurting you or something." Harry pulled back enough to lock their eyes, but there was nothing but fire in those green rings. Only when he took his hand away did Draco realize he'd been holding it over Draco's mouth, and he almost screamed again just out of frustration.

"Seems like I have to make the message really stick this time, huh?" Before Draco could even answer, Harry was pushing him to his knees. His body gave easily-willingly-and Draco wanted to scream at it too because it was not supposed to be like this but he couldn't. He wasn't supposed to do repeats. One night stands were fine but Harry was back, now, and Jesus he was on his knees for the boy…

"Look at me." It was a command, laced with nothing but the coldest authority. "Tell me now, and tell me the truth. Do you want to be mine?" Fucking hell! His entire body tingled at that one sentence and it nearly brought tears to his eyes. He felt like he was falling, or suffocating maybe. Harry's hand in his hair was the only thing keeping him alive and he was desperate not to lose it-he was desperate not to lose _this_.

"Yes, god yes." Draco screamed at himself internally because he had tried to say no but his mouth had betrayed him. But the smile that drew from Harry was damn near unholy…

"Good. I'll give you a bit of a pass this time because I didn't explain the rules but listen to me, Sir," He grabbed Draco by the chin and lifted his face. "If I ever catch you doing something like that again, you will regret it. Understood?" Draco nodded, frantic to please him and just to make sure Harry didn't leave him like this because he felt like he might never stop falling if Harry let go and he just-

"Hey, breathe." Instantly, his body obeyed before his mind even processed the words. "Look at me." Draco chose to obey that time, lifting his face without being forced and meeting those gorgeous green eyes with his own even if it terrified him. He didn't understand why his entire body suddenly burned and ached to just _be smaller_. He didn't want to meet Harry's eyes, he didn't want to do anything that might be seen as a challenge, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and just cry.

Harry held his eyes, though, with nothing but warmth in his own. Gently, he reached out and, rather than slap Draco's face, he slid his hand to the back of the blond's neck and gripped. For a second, Draco had the mental image of someone grabbing a baby kitten by the back of its neck but then he was gone, completely adrift in the feeling that touch gave him. It was like he could breathe again.

"Draco," His name, not the nickname, made Draco focus. "You are mine. Breathe, and stop panicking because you don't need to. I know you and I will never push you too far, okay? I won't let go. I won't let you fall, and I won't ever be the one who pushes you down that rabbit hole. You can hold on to me as much as you need. I will never take that away, not even as punishment, because I understand, okay? Do you trust me?" Draco nodded before he even realized what he was doing. Tears streamed down his face, though he didn't understand why, but Harry just gently caught them with his thumb and brushed them away. He was still on his knees, still clinging to the brunet as if his life depended on it. How the hell had Harry managed to do this to him!?

"Good. Now, you're going to go back in there with me and you're going to send those strangers home. All of them. We're going to hang out with Ginny, Pansy, and Blaise as our friends and you're going to stop with the drugs. Do you understand me?" Again, his body was eager to agree and eager to please and he nodded quickly.

" _M'sorry_." Fuck. Draco nearly choked on his own oxygen and he lurched as if the floor was moving. He hadn't meant to say that. He hadn't meant to sound so fucking broken or so pitiful and he hadn't meant to apologize. His voice broke over the words, though, and there was no way Harry hadn't heard that so Draco just buried his face in his hands and curled in on himself. Surprisingly, though, Harry didn't yell at him.

"Hey, come here." He didn't obey because he didn't look up to see where 'here' was, but Harry pulled him there anyways. 'Here' was apparently Harry's lap. Harry held him there, too, and let him shake and choke where he lay, tucked between Harry's legs with his head positioned carefully on the brunet's stomach.

"Hey, breathe." Draco's body obeyed, but the oxygen felt tainted now. He'd shown weakness and he knew, instinctively, that pain was coming even if it was delayed. Harry ran his fingers through Draco's hair, though, and gently rubbed between his shoulder blades until Draco started to breathe again. Slowly, in and out. He wanted to throw up and he wanted to scream but his body wouldn't let him.

"You're okay, I've got you. Listen to me, it's okay, you didn't know. You don't have to be scared, Sir, I would never hurt you, remember?" Draco did remember, but it was the title that made him smile because, even if they were both upset, it still sounded slightly amused whenever Harry said it. He laughed against Harry's stomach, and earned a smile from the brunet.

"Do you trust me, Sir?" Another laugh bubbled up from his chest and it felt light and happy in a way the drugs never did. He nodded, but he wasn't ready to leave the comfort of Harry's hold so he didn't lift his head or say anything in response. Harry didn't seem to mind, though.

"Thank you, Harry." Draco wasn't thanking him for being possessive, or for reassuring him, or even for what had just happened. Or even for the sex the night before. He hoped that Harry understood he was thanking him for that feeling he gave him-like he was steady, finally, and like he was alive. It was rare, but Draco was glad he was alive right then. Rather than say anything in reply, though, Harry grabbed a pen off the end table nearby and took Draco's hand in his own. On the back of his hand, in the sensitive flesh, Harry roughly drew a sharp, pointed heartbeat symbol. It hurt, but Draco loved it.

"Don't forget again, Sir." Draco wasn't sure if Harry meant don't forget that Harry made him feel that way, or if he meant don't forget who he belonged to. He wasn't going to forget either, though, anytime soon.

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Thanks for reading! Please please please review!


	3. Chapter 3

AN I don't own HP or any of the characters! Blaise POV chapter!

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When Blaise woke up wound around Pansy, he knew something was wrong. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to be with her-he was-and he was pleased to see Ginny asleep on the couch across from them but something was wrong because it was light out. Draco was always very careful and separated them before there was any risk of being found. Even by staff. But Draco wasn't even in the room, let alone about to wake them up, so Blaise detangled himself and went to search for his best friend.

He didn't have to go far, thankfully. His head pounded and his limbs were weak with the aftermath of whatever the hell they'd done last night but he found Draco in his own bed-and not alone. Harry, Pans' friend, was there too and he wouldn't have found it odd except they were touching. Blaise had walked in on Draco and had to get him up the morning after one night stands hundreds of times before-especially if his parents were coming home soon-but not once had they been touching. Always, Draco kept to his own side of the bed. And it didn't even look like Harry had invaded that space or pushed his way into Draco. No, actually, it looked like the opposite.

Just for a second, Blaise was completely taken aback by the scene in front of him. His best friend in the entire world was there, curled into Harry's body with his head on the brunet's chest, and he was asleep. There were at least two very clear, very dark hickeys on his throat. Which was strange, now that he thought about it, because Draco very rarely ever let anyone leave a mark on him- _one night stands should fade after that one night._ Draco looked almost peaceful, but Blaise still couldn't get over the fact that Draco looked so… submissive. That was the word, even if it felt weird to say it. And the way Harry's hand was tangled in the blond's hair, the way he held his arm cemented across Draco's pale shoulders, even the way he interlaced their fingers. It looked protective.

Blaise decided right then and there that he was going to corner this Harry and give him a warning. True, he'd been the one to call the boy and invite him. He'd thought Draco would like the surprise of someone he'd clearly enjoyed sleeping with for his actual birthday-and he'd been right. But he hadn't expected this. This felt dangerous and, the longer he stood there watching it, the more he felt anxiety rise in his chest.

It took him nearly three days to actually manage to get Harry alone without Draco noticing. They were in one of the studies that were placed all over the manor-but not Lucius' study, of course-and Harry surprisingly didn't look concerned.

"What's up, Blaise?" This was not going to be that kind of conversation, though, so Blaise went to the brandy near the fireplace and poured himself a glass. He would need it to get through this conversation.

"Take a seat." Harry did, but refused the brandy which Blaise thought was a rather dumb idea. He'd need it too, if this conversation went the way he was planning for it to go, and he left the stopper out in case Harry changed his mind. But the brunet simply sat there, waiting patiently.

"We need to talk about Draco." Harry just looked at him, waiting. "You need to know what you're getting into, what you're starting with him. And look, I get that it's none of my business what goes on between you two-I get that. But Draco is my best friend. If you're going to keep doing this, you need to know him better than you do now." Blaise lifted his glass and downed almost half of it, which he knew Harry noticed, but he didn't care-he needed the alcohol more than he needed Harry to think he was some good kid.

"I'm listening." And Harry was listening, surprisingly. Blaise had half expected him to bolt the second Draco was anything other than a on again off again fling. But Harry was sitting there with him, watching him drink, and just waiting.

"Draco's… unstable. I say that as his best friend and practically his brother but he is. His father, well, that's a whole other thing that isn't really my business to tell you but he's pretty messed up. I'm not trying to convince you to walk away or anything-the opposite, actually-but I want you to know what you're getting into because if you break him…" Harry merely lifted an eyebrow.

"If I break him?" Drake was going to skin him alive for telling Harry any of this, especially if he kept going, but Blaise needed to do this. He needed Harry to know, at least.

"I'm sure you've noticed that Draco isn't exactly the relationship type. He doesn't usually even sleep with the same person more than once, which is why he gave me such shit for bringing you here the night after the party. I love him, don't get me wrong, but I had my mother growing up and Draco's mother is… different. He's had a pretty shitty life and he struggles with a lot of things."

"The drugs?" Blaise had to frown a bit. So it hadn't just been the two guys hanging off of Draco that had made Harry look so upset.

"Yeah, that's part of it at least. He does hard shit-the kind of stuff Pans and I never even touch-and I don't know how he isn't addicted yet but, if it helps, he isn't. I just… I don't know how to really explain him to you. You see a part of him I don't, obviously, but there's a lot you don't know history wise." Harry, shockingly, didn't look the least bit concerned. Actually, he looked rather interested as if he was learning a new fun fact or watching a documentary for the first time.

"Then tell me." Drake was so going to kill him. The second the blond found out, Blaise would have to run for shelter and maybe even spend time with his own parents to avoid his wrath. Still, he told himself this was for the best because it was better in the long run.

"Drake and I have been best friends since we were kids. He's always been a risk taker, he's always been reckless, but he won't put others in danger. Just himself. I remember we were ten years old and we went out exploring in the woods behind the manor, trying to ditch our security detail. We made it to this rocky point that stuck out over the lake. I didn't even dare him-didn't have to-he just grinned and ran off of it into the water, in the middle of January. One of his bodyguards pulled him out but… I don't know he just does things like that." Now came the hard part. The part that made him down the rest of his brandy and pour another glass because he hated even thinking about any of this.

"A while ago, he had a really good friend. Draco has always been unstable but Mel grounded him somehow and they were good together, even if it wasn't romantic. His father thought they were together, though, and was having none of it. Said if Draco didn't end it, and make it believable, he would make sure Mel didn't wake up the next morning. It shattered him. He did it and, I found out later, did it well. Mel pushed, though, because she knew him too well and she didn't believe him. She was killed the next day." Harry had become somber, but still looked unworried which frankly shocked Blaise. It wasn't that the brunet across from him was unaffected-he looked incredibly sad and full of sympathy-but he didn't look scared or repulsed. He didn't look like he wanted to run.

"That's terrible." It was horrific, actually, because Blaise could still remember the front page color photo of her body in the street. He could still remember Lucius slipping it under the bedroom door. He remembered telling Draco to go get it because he needed to get up and move around so he didn't just completely disappear into his mattress. And he remembered the look on his face when he saw it. Nothing could erase that look from his memory, no matter how much he drank.

"Yeah. He, uh…" Blaise struggled, searching for the words. "He took it pretty hard. Even I wasn't allowed to see him for months and, when I managed to sneak in, he tried to push me away. He'll do that to you too, if things get bad. He's scared of people getting hurt because they're close to him. He, uh… he's tried to kill himself a couple times since then. I was the one who found him-both times-and I know he's still angry that I didn't let him die." Harry was quiet, just watching and listening, but Blaise could see the emotion slowly creeping into his face and it wasn't good. It was the kind of harsh, potent fear that had been lying dormant in Blaise since the last suicide attempt.

"Why not get him help?" He snorted.

"Yeah, right, like Lucius Malfoy would ever even acknowledge something like mental health. Or risk letting the fact that his son isn't perfect and strong get spread on the streets-let alone bisexual. I've tried, a couple times, but he doesn't listen to me. I could have kept pushing it but I would have lost him as a friend and I think he needs someone close more right now. Harry, I know I'm putting a lot on you right now. I just want you to know what you're getting into, so you don't just suddenly walk out because that would be… bad. To say the least."

Blaise felt like he was the one about to tip over the edge now because he could just imagine Draco's face when he found out what he'd done. He would be so mad. And that betrayal in his face would be so, so toxic. But Harry placed a hand on his arm and Blaise snapped up to stare at the brunet, who was still sitting calmly. Harry locked their eyes. There was nothing but steadiness and authority in those emerald rings, nothing but the kind of calm that snaked out and into Blaise's own body.

"It's okay, Blaise, thank you for telling me." Immediately, it was like someone had drugged him. Blaise relaxed and started to breathe again, which helped immensely, and for a second he thought Harry might be magic. Was this why Draco liked him so much? Because he could completely understand, now, why his best friend had looked so small and peaceful curled against this man.

"He's gonna kill me for telling you any of this." But Harry just squeezed his arm a bit and smiled.

"Let me handle him." And Blaise was more than happy to do just that because nothing scared him more than facing Draco when he was on the brink of self-destruction.

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Thanks for reading! Please review!


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